Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Kaylish]

I will give you the best example I heard. Birds that are blue should have nice edging or lacing on the feathers. So if you breed blues with that it will also be in your black birds..... they are genetically different. People cross them all the time but it messes up your blues if you use a bird from a black pen and vice versa. Also blues tend to be silver based (it just makes the best blues) and black birds tend to be gold based. Those are just some examples.

Thank you! I've noticed some nice lacing on a few of the my blues, I'm happy to know it's a "good" thing, not just something I find pretty.

 

[Mike10]

Hey so does anyone know when you can process a birchen maran how old does it have to be. Are they ok for meat?

 

[DMRippy]

Hey so does anyone know when you can process a birchen maran how old does it have to be. Are they ok for meat?

I had a roo guy that processed them at about 2-3 months old. He said they were just enough for him since he was single. What ever you are comfortable with would be fine. The older they get the tougher the meat tends to get.

 

[MrsFitzDarcy]

I will give you the best example I heard. Birds that are blue should have nice edging or lacing on the feathers. So if you breed blues with that it will also be in your black birds..... they are genetically different. People cross them all the time but it messes up your blues if you use a bird from a black pen and vice versa. Also blues tend to be silver based (it just makes the best blues) and black birds tend to be gold based. Those are just some examples.

So what does it mean if a blue hen doesn't have lacing, like my Croquembouche? I love her coloring. I think she looks like a pretty cloud. Fluffy and light.

 

[Mike10]

I had a roo guy that processed them at about 2-3 months old.  He said they were just enough for him since he was single.  What ever you are comfortable with would be fine.  The older they get the tougher the meat tends to get.

Yea I have heard about the meat getting tougher. Thanks for the response.

 

[shadi1982]

My first BCM egg... I think it looks lighter than what it should be? What do you think?

 

[NestingHillsSC]

My first BCM egg... I think it looks lighter than what it should be? What do you think?

They get darker the more they lay.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: It should be darker yes...... typically they don't get darker..... it could get darker but usually they lay the darkest eggs the first few eggs.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

I swear I read on here that they get darker.

Shows you how much I know about Marans at this time.

 

[Zanna]

They can get darker but in my BCM they pretty much start close to as dark as they will get and they lighten towards the end of their cycle before molting or being broody. After any break from laying they start back darker again. Just my personal experience with my birds over 6 years.